FIRST JOINT TACTICAL EXERCISE SINO-INDIA COOPERATION 2016 HELD IN CHUSUL-MOLDO AREA ALONG LOAC

India and China held first joint tactical military exercise Sino-India 2016.

The one-day long exercise was held in Chusul-Moldo area that is located along the Line of Actual Control (LoAC) in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.

Details related to Sino-India 2016 exercise

• The exercise is part of the ongoing initiatives taken by India and China to ensure greater interaction between troops stationed along the LoAC.

• The focus of the exercise was on joint actions to tackle aspects of humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

• It was participated by 30 border troops each from both the countries.

• It complements the Hand-in-Hand series of India-China joint exercises which started in 2007.

NASA TO LAUNCH ITS NEW ROCKET SPACE LAUNCH SYSTEM CARRYING 13 CUBESATS IN 2018

The US space agency NASA announced that the first flight of its new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), carrying 13 CubeSats and an uncrewed Orion Spacecraft will be launched in 2018.

These small satellites secondary payloads will carry science and technology investigations, which will help in paving the way for future human exploration in deep space, including the journey to Mars. These payloads were selected through a NASA challenge and negotiations with NASA’s international partners.

SLS’ first flight, referred to as Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), will provide the rare opportunity for these small experiments to reach deep space destinations, as most launch opportunities for CubeSats are limited to low-Earth orbit.

This rocket has the unprecedented power to send Orion to deep space plus room to carry 13 small satellites – payloads that will advance our knowledge about deep space with minimal cost.

List of CubeSats to be carried by SLS

Payload

Process of Selection

Objective

Skyfire

Through the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Broad Agency

To be developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Denver, Colorado.

This CubeSat will perform a lunar flyby of the moon, taking sensor data during the flyby to enhance knowledge of the lunar surface.

Lunar IceCube

Through the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) Broad Agency

To be developed by Morehead State University, Kentucky.

This CubeSat will search for water ice and other resources at a low orbit of only 62 miles above the surface of the moon.

Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEA Scout)

NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

It will perform reconnaissance of an asteroid, take pictures and observe its position in space.

BioSentinel

NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

It will use yeast to detect, measure and compare the impact of deep space radiation on living organisms over long durations in deep space.

Lunar Flashlight

NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate

It will look for ice deposits and identify locations where resources may be extracted from the lunar surface.

CuSP

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate

It is a space weather station to measure particles and magnetic fields in space, testing practicality for a network of stations to monitor space weather.

LunaH-Map

NASA’s Science Mission Directorate

It will map hydrogen within craters and other permanently shadowed regions throughout the moon’s South Pole.

Besides, the three additional payloads will be determined through NASA’s Cube Quest Challenge – sponsored by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. It is designed to foster innovations in small spacecraft propulsion and communications techniques. CubeSat builders will vie for a launch opportunity on SLS’ first flight through a competition that has four rounds, referred to as ground tournaments, leading to the selection in 2017 of the payloads to fly on the mission.

NASA has also reserved three slots for payloads from international partners. Discussions to fly those three payloads are ongoing, and they will be announced at a later time.

Other the other hand, during this first flight, SLS will also launch the Orion Spacecraft to a stable orbit beyond the moon to demonstrate the integrated system performance of Orion and the SLS rocket prior to the first crewed flight.

The first configuration of SLS that will fly on EM-1 is referred to as Block I and will have a minimum 70-metric-ton (77-ton) lift capability and be powered by twin boosters and four RS-25 engines.

The CubeSats will be deployed following Orion separation from the upper stage and once Orion is a safe distance away. Each payload will be ejected with a spring mechanism from dispensers on the Orion stage adapter. Following deployment, the transmitters on the CubeSats will turn on, and ground stations will listen for their beacons to determine the functionality of these small satellites.

NORTH KOREA LAUNCHED KWANGMYONGSONG-4 SATELLITE

North Korea’s National Aerospace Development Administration (NADA) launched the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite.

The satellite was launched on-board the Kwangmyongsong rocket from the Sohae Space Center in Cholsan County, North Phyongan Province.

Features of Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite

• It is an earth observation satellite and was launched as per the 2016 plan of the 5-year program for national aerospace development.

• It was placed in the polar orbit at a distance of 500 km from the Earth.

• It was named after late leader Kim Jong Il, the father of the present leader Kim Jong Un.

Comment

The launch attracted wide spread criticism from the UN and other major powers including the western countries led by the USA.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC), in an emergency meeting on 7 February 2016, also condemned the launch terming it as a missile test to validate nuclear arms carrying capabilities which are under development.

Earlier, on 6 January 2016, North Korea claimed that it conducted nuclear bomb test. It was the third nuclear test since its first launch in 2006 which attracted UN sanctions.

The timing of the test also assumed significance as it was conducted ahead of a ruling party congress in May 2016, the first since 1980.

INTERNATIONAL FLEET REVIEW 2016 CONCLUDED IN VISAKHAPATNAM

International Fleet Review (IFR) 2016 of the Indian Navy was concluded along the coast of Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.

The 5-day long event was hosted by the Indian Navy with the theme United through Oceans. It was attended by the President of India Pranab Mukherjee and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Features of International Fleet Review 2016

• The review was aimed at assuring the country of the Indian Navy’s preparedness, high morale and discipline.

• Considered as country’s biggest military exercise, friendly naval contingents from around the world joined Indian navy’s ships and submarines.

• It saw the participation of 50 navies, 90 ships, including 24 warships and over 70 aircraft. Besides, ships of Indian Coast Guard and mercantile marine also participated in the review.

• The list of participating countries included the 5 permanent members of the UNSC – the USA, China, the UK, Russia and France, South Korea, Brazil, Canada, etc.

• During the review, Indian navy showcased latest acquisitions such as carrier-borne MIG 29K strike fighter, the P8I long range maritime reconnaissance aircraft and the KM-31 AEW helicaptor.

• A fleet review is a ceremonial and stately inspection of naval warships by the supreme commander of armed forces, the President of India.

• This was the second time an IFR was being held in India.

• The first IFR was held off the coast of Mumbai in 2001 when APJ Abdul Kalam was the President. 29 countries participated in that event.

JOSHNA CHINAPPA CLINCHED SQUASH INDIVIDUAL GOLD AT THE SOUTH ASIAN GAMES

Joshna Chinappa clinched the gold in women's individual squash after beating Maria Toorpaki Wazir of Pakistan at the South Asian Games.

Top seed Chinappa recovered from one set down to beat second seeded Wazir 10-12 11-7 11-9 11-7 at the R G Baruah Sports Complex in Guwahati.

About Joshna Chinappa

• Joshna Chinappa reached a career-high world ranking of World No. 13 in December 2015.

• She was the first Indian to win the British Squash Championship title in 2003 in the under 19 category and was also the youngest Indian women's national champion.

• She is the first beneficiary of Mittal Champions Trust.

• At the 2014 Commonwealth Games, she along with Dipika Pallikal won the squash women’s doubles gold medal, making it India's first ever Commonwealth Games medal in the sport.

About 2016 South Asian Games

• The 2016 South Asian Games, officially the XII South Asian Games, is a major multi-sport event.

• A total of 2672 athletes are scheduled to compete in 228 events over 23 sports.

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati on 5 February 2016.

• The event will be concluded on 16 February 2016 in Guwahati and Shillong, India.

DAVID HEADLEY MADE REVELATIONS ABOUT ISI, JUD

In an important turn in the 2008 Mumbai attacks trial, Lashkar operative David Headley named Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief and 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed as the head of the Lashkar-e- Taiba.

During his deposition before a special court here via video-conferencing from the U.S., he identified Pakistani Army officers associated with the ISI.

Lashkar handlers Saeed and Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi had also been named by Ajmal Kasab, the Pakistani gunman who was executed for his role in 26/11, in his confession statement in 2008.

Notably, Headley named Major Ali and Major Iqbal of the ISI and Lashkar commander Sajid Mir as his contacts in Pakistan.

He also said the 10 people involved in the 26/11 attacks had made two previous attempts on Mumbai.

The first, in September 2008,failed as the boat, which started from outside Kara- chi, ran into some rocks and sank. The weapons and explosives were lost in the sea.

The second attempt took place a month later. It was Mir who informed Headley of the two attempts.

Headley, who was convicted in the U.S. for his role in the Mumbai attacks, gave his statement before special judge G.A. Sanap.

Testifying as a prosecution witness from an undisclosed location in the U.S., he confinedhimself to the information he divulged following his plea bargain agreement with the American government in 2010.

Terming his deposition “live evidence,” special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam said it was a “statement of oath” of a person directly involved in the criminal conspiracy.

It said the prohibition was necessary to keep the Internet open and non-discriminatory.

TRAI said a fine of Rs. 50,000 would be levied per day, subject to a maximum of Rs. 50 lakh, for any violation of these regulations. An exemption, however, has been made for offering emergency services.

Ruling out case-by- case approval for plans that might be priced differently, the regulator said a clear policy should be formulated.

The regulator and Facebook have been at loggerheads over the issue with the authority terming the social networking giant’s attempt to lobby for its Free Basics initiative a “crude” attempt at turning the consultation over differential pricing of data services into an “orchestrated opinion poll” on Free Basics.

Facebook had partnered with Reliance Communications in India to ofer Free Basics service. However, the services were put in abeyance, post a TRAI order to this effect.

TRAI said tariff for data services could not vary on the basis of the website/ application/ platform/ or type of content being accessed.

For example, a consumer could not be charged differently based on whether she was browsing social media site A or B, or on whether she was watching streaming videos or shopping on the Internet.

AFTER SIX DAYS UNDER ICE A SOLDIER MIRACULOUSLY FOUND ALIVE IN SIACHEN

The Army found a solider alive and retrieved the body of another from a huge mound of snow and ice, triggered by an avalanche in Siachen Glacier, in Ladakh region, where a search operation is on for six days now.

Lance Naik Hanamanthappa has been found alive. He is critical but allattempts are being made to evacuate him to RR Hospital in the morning. We hope the miracle continues. Pray with us.

INDIA’S SUN MISSION ADITYA-L1 WILL BE LAUNCHED IN 2019

Aditya-L1, the Indian sun mission due after three years, may turn out to be a unique formation of not one but two spacecraft looking at the sun from two stable orbital points.

Aditya is the nation’s third big extra-terrestrial outing after moon and Mars, all conceived and designed by AD- COS, the multi-faculty body of the Indian Space Research Organisation.

ISRO has started activities to send a 400-kg spacecraft to look at the sun from a special stable orbital slot called L1 around 2019-20. L1 or ‘Lagrangian’ point # 1 is about 1.5 million km from Earth towards the sun.

There are four more Lagrangian points L2 to L5 for sun and Earth where space objects can resist the pulls ofboth the celestial bodies and stay relatively stable in that orbit.

According to ADCOS Chairman, and former ISRO chief and cosmic ray scientist U.R. Rao, a second spacecraft can be sent to Point L5, about 1.3 million km away and at a 30-degree angle to L1, for a fuller picture of the sun. It could follow L1 a few months or a year apart.

ADCOS has designed the 2008 Chandrayaan-1; its future sequel; the 2013 Mars Orbiter Mission and is weighing the pros of either a second Mars mission or a Venus trip — the last of which is attracting other space agencies as potential partners.

The first task is to build a few ultra-sensitive instruments to accurately measure minute details about the sun.

Dr. Rao said the bigger challenge is to create an all-aluminium 20-metre-high magnetic test facility near Bengaluru to specially assemble and test the spacecraft and instruments in a magnetically clean manner with “not one electric material, not even a car, being nearby”.

CHINA AND RUSSIA BOTH AGAINST DEPLOYING ANTI-MISSILE DEFENCE SHIELD BY US IN SOUTH KOREA

China and Russia have slammed the possible deployment of an American anti-missile defence shield in South Korea following North Korea’s satellite launch.

China’s said that China is “deeply concerned” about the decision by the US and the Republic of Korea to start official negotiations on the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense ( THAAD) system.

The THAAD system comprises advanced U.S. Anti-missile defence batteries.

China said deployment of these weapons would escalate tensions on the Korean peninsula. In turn, this would undermine regional peace and stability, and set back efforts to address the current situation.

On the other hand, Washington is of the view that following North Korea’s nuclear test in January, the THAAD system would be required to protect the 27,000 American troops that have been deployed in South Korea.

UNITED MADHESI DEMOCRATIC FRONT ( UMDF) ENDS FIVE MONTH OLD BLOCKADE

Days before the visit to India by Nepal’s Prime Minister, the United Madhesi Democratic Front (UMDF) declared an end to the five- month-old blockade which was started as a protest against the new Constitution of Nepal promulgated.

intense parleys between Indian and Nepali interlocutors have convinced the Madhesi rebels to stop the blockade which has created a major domestic disturbance in Nepal and hurt India-Nepal ties.

The Madhesis, however, have threatened to re-launch the blockade in case the key demand for creating two States for the Madhesi region is not met by the Kathmandu leadership.

The government of Mr. Oli has promised to implement a series of amendments in the Nepali Constitution to in- crease Madhesi representation in the government, politics and society.

TRANSITION PROCESS FROM MILITARY TO DEMOCRACY STARTED IN MYANMAR

The names ofMyanmar’s next President and two Vice-Presidents will be revealed on March 17, setting a clear timeline for the transition of power from a military-con- trolled government to democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi’s party.

Positive results could come out on the negotiation for the suspension of the Constitution’s Article 59 (f).”The provision which says anyone with a foreign spouse of children cannot hold the executive office, bars Ms. Suu Kyi from becoming President.

Parliament chairman Mann Win Khaing Than announced that the upper house, the lower House and the military will have to select one candidate each for the three posts before March 17.

Once the three names are put before the 664-member Parliament, all members will take a vote.

The person with the largest number of votes will become President, and the other two will be Vice- Presidents.

The current President’s term ends March 31 and the successor must take office April 1.

INDIA AND UAE SET TO ENGAGE IN VARIOUS FIELDS AFTER PRINCE’S VISIT

India and the Unit- ed Arab Emirates are set to strengthen cyber security mechanism to track radicalisation of youth in South Asia and West Asian region.

Over the last several months, India-UAE cooperation has prevented several radicalised youths from joining the ranks of the Islamic State (IS).

Both sides are expected to sign a number of agreements on cyber security and law enforcement during the February 10-12 visit by Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Security collaboration has become the centrepiece of India-UAE cooperation, especially since Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Dubai in August 2015.

Cyber security experts have point- ed out that the cooperation between the UAE and India on cyber security has helped in tracking radicalisation in

India as well as inside Pakistan. Agreements on security and cyber security will be part of a total of 16 agreements that are expected to be signed during the visit which will also include an agreement on nuclear research and development, and aerospace collaborations.

The Gross DomesticProduct (GDP) is now estimatedto accelerate to a five-year high of7.6 per cent for the 12-month period ending March 31.

The higher growth in FY16 willbe possible thanks to robust out put in the services sector and a revival in industrial production,though concerns remain on theagriculture front. The 7.6 per centgrowth projection for this fiscalwill be the fastest pace since 8.9per cent recorded inFY11

The 7.3 per centgrowth in Q3 will alsomake India the fastestgrowing economy inthe world, faster thanChina which witnessed a 6.8 percent growth in the same period.

The growth estimates come at a time when several experts have expressed concernabout the methodology used tocompute the GDP and asked thegovernment to look into possiblediscrepancies as they feel it does not seem to accurately reflectground realities.

The government, however, claims the new methodology ofGDP calculation is an improvement over the previous one as itbetter collates the value additionthat happens in the entire supplychain of goods and services

SUGAR MILLS WANT CANE POLICY OVERHAUL

Tamil Nadu, the country’s fourth largest sugarcaneproducing state, needs tooverhaul its policy and rationalise taxes to ensure them ills are profitable, a top official of Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) said.

The current policy puts theburden solely on the millswhich is both “unreasonableand unaffordable

The state had four lakhfarmers and 45 sugar mills.Tamil Nadu accounts for seven to nine per cent of thecountry’s total sugar production of 260 lakh tonne.

Currently, the Tamil Nadugovernment has fixed theState Advised Price atRs.2,850 per tonne for 2015-16 sugar season, which was Rs.550 more than the Fair andRemunerative Price fixed bythe Centre. This was the highest in the country, if one considered the sugar recovery ratio

According to ISMA, sugarmills in Tamil Nadu were located close to the port andhad quick access to Sri Lanka.But out of about six lakh tonneof white sugar imported by SriLanka, India was able to meetabout 50 per cent. The balance was met by Brazil. Indiawas unable to take advantageof the situation because ofhigh sugarcane costs.

The stategovernment was urged to develop amodel followed by other states to ensure that the sugarcane farmers got their payments on time and if required,assist the mills in the paymentespecially when the revenuerealisation was poor.

There is an urge to removal of fiveper cent VAT on sugar, as it raised the cost of sugar produced in Tamil Nadu, whichwas already high due to lowsugar recovery. It thus made itall the more uncompetitive asrevenue loss for mills wasover Rs.200 crore a year.

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